Twins bring back an old friend to replace David Popkins as next hitting coach

It didn't take long for the Minnesota Twins to start making changes in the aftermath of what happened over the last month of the season. A historic collapse led to the team deciding to part ways with hitting coach David Popkins and his entire staff, and it now appears the Twins have found the man they hope can turn things around.

He's a familiar face, which also helps.

According to Brandon Warne, the Twins are bringing back Matt Borgschulte to replace David Popkins team's new hitting coach. The Athletic's Dan Hayes confirmed the hire.

If the name sound familiar, it's either because he's been the man behind the curtain of the Baltimore Orioles offensive surge over the last few seasons or fans remember Borgschulte from his time in Minnesota at the end of the 2010s.

Borgschulte spent the last few years as co-hitting coach in Baltimore with Ryan Fuller, who was let go last week amid changes the Orioles were making to the clubhouse.

Twins bringing back Matt Borgschulte is the first great move of the offseason

This past season was one of the best that Baltimore has had, with the team slashing .250/.315/.435 for a 115 wRC+ under the tutelage of Borgschulte. So much weight is being put on how things ended for the Orioles, but last season's 255/.321/.421 for a 105 wRC+ suggests that there's sustained success to be had with Borgschulte returning to Minnesota.

He's inheriting an offense that no doubt has some serious firepower, as the Twins ranked in the Top 10 for runs scored last year, but scored just 3.6 runs per game over the cours of their month-long collapse. Add to that the fact that an offense that was humming over the summer slashed an abysmal .228/.292/.354 over the last month and it becomes clear where Borgschulte can help make a difference.

While the Orioles also flamed out, it wasn't to the epic degree to which Minnesota did and the logic is that Borgschulte working with Royce Lewis, Brooks Lee, and Edouard Julien as well as Jose Miranda and veterans like Bryon Buxton and Carlos Correa will have the same magic as when he helped Gunnar Henderson, Heston Kjerstad, Adley Rutschman and the rest of the Orioles young core.

One feather in hsi cap that should excite Twins fans is what happened with Jackson Holliday. The top prospect in baseball was called up in April but hit just .059 and was soon optioned back to Triple-A. When he returned in August, Holliday hit .218/.285/.365 with 22 RBI and five home runs, which aren't lights out numbers but is a solid foundation to start building on.

Borgschulte helping Holliday find consistency once he returned to the Majors is an example of what he brings to the Twins. Imaging him working with Julien in the same way he did Holliday to unlock deeper levels of potential, and then extending that influence to the entire roster.

Minnesota needs to do a lot of work to get back to where the vibes were this time last year, but bringing back Borgschulte is a massive step in the right direction.

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